A study of attitudes associated with effective pastoral performance

Abstract

This study was concerned with the action tendency component of attitude associated with effective pastoral performance. The study tried to answer the question as to what action tendencies were observed to be effective in the behavior of pastors in interpersonal events, and how closely observers agreed in their choice of these action tendencies.

This Critical Incident Technique was used in this study. The questionnaire was the instrument used in the collection of data. The questionnaire elicited reports in the form of essay responses from observers of critical incidents in pastoral performance. The questionnaire asked the respondents to give a critical incident in each of four functional divisions of the pastoral work. The respondents were also asked to nominate fifteen "effective" pastors of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches.

The subjects of this study were ninety-three pastors who are in the actual service of the churched or church-related institutions of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches. These pastors were a sample of one hundred fourteen pastors included in the total population. A group of one hundred sixty-two lay leaders of the churches was made a sample of 404 lay leaders named by the pastors as their advisers or confidants. The responses of the lay leaders were compared with the responses of the pastors.

The content of the critical incidents reported by the respondents in the questionnaire was analyzed. A "code", formed after the content-analysis of pretest responses, was used in categorizing the action tendencies mentioned in the responses. Action tendencies were ranked according to their frequency of mention.

The Rank-difference Coefficient of Correlation or the Spearman rho was the statistical tool used to determine the degree of agreement between the reports of the two groups of respondents. The Critical Ratio was used to determine the degree of agreement between the percentages of the two groups of respondents on each of the action tendencies mentioned in each of the four functional divisions of the pastoral work. The same statistical tools were used to determine the degree of agreement between the ranks given by the two groups of respondents on their choice of the fifteen most "effective" pastors, taken individually.

The following were the findings of the study:

1. The respondents agreed on fourteen action tendencies they associated with effective pastoral performance; namely, "adaptive", "consistent", "cooperative-participative", "coordination", "democratic-consultative", "evaluative", "helpful", "initiative", "innovative", "inspiring", "listening", "organization", "perseverance", and "planning".

2. The respondents agree on some action tendencies to be highly associated with effective performance in a particular functional division of the pastoral work. Eleven action tendencies were highly associated with Church Administration; nine with Evangelion and Christian Education; five with Preaching; and six with Pastoral Care and Counseling.

3. The respondents agreed on seven action tendencies they adjudged as essential to pastoral work. The seven essential action tendencies are the following: "cooperative-participative", "coordination", "helpful", "initiative", "inspiring", "organization", and "planning".

4. The respondents agreed on their choice of the fifteen most "effective" pastors of the Convention of the Philippine Baptist Churches Lay leaders have attributed action tendencies to each of the fifteen "effective" pastor. On the basis of the findings the following were recommended:

1. The pastors, in cooperation with the College of Theology of Central Philippine University, should discover ways and means whereby they can develop these action tendencies associated with effective pastoral performance in themselves, and develop competence in interpersonal relations.

2. The College of Theology should develop a curriculum including courses aimed at developing action tendencies associated with effective pastoral performance in the seminary student.

3. The College of Theology must set up seminars in Clinical Counseling for pastors actually working in the field.

4. The College of Theology must organize seminars aimed at developing skills in interpersonal relationship.

5. The College of Theology must develop and improve the students' competence in communication skills.

6. The Supervised Field Education of using the field experience of the fifteen most "effective" pastors in the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches. The findings of this study should be made avail- able to the office of the General Secretary of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churched and to the pastoral search committees of the local churched.